One sure need at all newspapers,
magazines, television and radio stations is material to
fill up their pages and their broadcast time. You must
only supply them with the material they need in a way
they can use it. Lets look at some of the criteria
they all use in deciding the stories they cover.

Immediacy or Timeliness. Events that
happen today are more interesting to the public than
events of yesterday or the day before. Sell this
element of your story by letting them know that it is
happening NOW.

Proximity. People are generally more
interested in something that has happened close to
home rather than in a distant location, unless there
is a local tie to that faraway place. For instance,
the expansion of a company in Germany would be
interesting to your local media if it might have an
impact on your hometown.

Consequence. News can also be
localized by reporting how an event of an
international or national scope will affect them
locally.

Conflict. People are drawn to
stories dealing with conflict such as stories about
war, sports, domestic confrontations, elections,
crime, or man against nature.

Oddity. Anything unusual or comical
makes for a story that will draw the publics
attention. The press will cover these stories if they
dont perceive that the whole thing was
contrived simply for media attention. And, oddity is
a very trendy thing. A company that hires when others
are laying-off is certainly odd.

Sex. Yes, it still sells ...
especially with the media. Recently a story ran all
over American media reporting on the sex habits of
the majority of Americans. The story ran every 30
minutes on CNN, a lead story. This angle, obviously,
must be sold and written in good taste. But when a
sexy story runs, people listen.

Emotion. Stories that cause the
reader to feel sympathy, anger, sadness or happiness
will win an editors favor  emotions draw
readers into the story. These include stories about
animals, children, old people, and disasters.

Prominence. Its the nature of
people to be interested in the activities of
well-known people. Presidents and movie stars always
draw attention, but there may be prominent people
within your community that could be used as an
attraction for your media event.

Suspense. New events or situations
that have not been concluded are covered eagerly by
the press. Its almost like a mystery story.
Will good conquer evil? Will the loser finally win?

Progress. By their nature, new
developments and scientific discoveries 
whether in medicine or space technology or whatever
 are news and of interest, especially if they
might affect the reader in some way.

* * *

You should present your story
ideas keeping the above angles in mind, and also keeping
in mind the different styles of the media:

Print media: provides more in-depth coverage.
Print reporters typically have more time and space to
spend on a story. Stop just short of writing the story
for them ... reporters resent that. But make their job as
easy as possible with prepared releases, press packets,
quotes.

Television: Pundits call television
pictures with words. Indeed, television
viewers are looking much more intently than listening.
Think visuals as you put your story concept
together. Think action, think background, think color.
Use brief quotes, called sound bites. The
total words in a full 30 minute newscast would only fill
3/4 of a newspaper page if transcribed. You need to be
succinct. Television is the primary news source in
America. Its important to use it well.

Radio: Heres opportunity for more
accessible coverage with talk shows, news and public
affairs programs. Radio is the most immediate of all the
media. You can be on radio RIGHT NOW if your news
warrants it. The average American spends 3 hours a day
listening to radio. Something important to remember about
your radio presentation: radio broadcasting dulls your
personality and your energy level over the airwaves. The
listeners have no facial cues, no gestures, only your
voice and inflection. Boost it almost to the point of
sounding silly.

Internet: More and more companies are
taking their message directly to their customers and
public through self-generated online content. The company
can provide a controlled message to a worldwide audience
quickly, efficiently, and economically. As Internet
access improves around the world, we can expect this to
become a first-line source of mass communcation. A
writing style for the Internet is like writing for
broadcast media: short, bright bits of information
targeted at a limited attention span.

Module 4:Effective media releases: how to
write a press release and get it published; holding a
press conference; the press kit.